143 research outputs found

    NEWBORN CALVES' FEATURES IN RELATION TO THE TYPE OF DELIVERY

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    During recent years, an increase in perinatal mortality has been reported in dairy calves, quite typically not associated with an increase in the rate of dystocia. These perinatal losses not only represent a tremendous economic loss but also mirror an important welfare problem in cattle farms. In order to reduce the losses occurring during the perinatal and neonatal period, management of the parturient cow and newborn calf have to be addressed critically. As for all newborns, also calf\u2019s survival and subsequent health conditions require a perfect transition from fetal to extra uterine life. Critical observation and/or investigation of the calf during and immediately after calving is important, considering that several problems encountered during the first days after delivery can originate from the calving period itself. In a crude analysis for fetal and neonatal outcomes related to the type of delivery in the human specie, the highest rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality were seen in the elective caesarean group. Elective caesarean delivery could increase neonatal morbidity and mortality because lack of labour affects the physiological process for initiation of respiration. Caesarean delivery is known to be associated with respiratory distress syndrome and transient tachypnoea possibly mediated by the lower release of catecholamine and prostaglandins, as well as the lack of the mechanical compression of the lungs during labour needed to facilitate postnatal lung adaptation. Moreover, several studies on babies demonstrated that the type of delivery can deeply influence the adaptational process in the newborn, modifying the immune response, the oxygenation status and the developing endocrine axis; the influence of delivery is not only immediate but extended in time, possibly affecting also the future health status of the subject. The main focus of this experimental thesis was on the effects of two different types of delivery on the conditions of the calf at birth and during the neonatal period; differences in clinical features and biochemical, metabolic, hormonal, hematological and inflammatory profiles, have been described and discussed in details. In the first study (chapter 7-8-9), clinical data and biochemical, metabolic and hormonal profiles from newborn calves born by spontaneous parturition or by caesarean section were compared. For each newborn many clinical data (Apgar score, rectal temperature, extimated weight) were collected within 5 minutes from birth. Time for sternal recumbency and time to stand up were registered as soon as evident. Biochemical and metabolic profiles during the first 2 days of life (birth, 24 h, 48 h) were determined. Plasma concentrations of IGF-I, cortisol and thyroid hormones were investigated for the first 14 days of life. No significant differences between calves from spontaneous parturition and from caesarean section were found concerning clinical features at birth and during neonatal period (chapter 7). Many differences between the two groups were found regarding some biochemical, metabolic and hormonal parameters. These fast changes in biochemical and metabolic parameters in the newborn calf are probably due to the maturational processes of liver, kidney and metabolism for adaptation to the extra uterine life; basing on our data, the caesarean section seems to entail a lower physical effort for calves during birth, and a slower or delayed adaptational process. In the second study (chapter 10) the plasmatic profile of prostaglandin F2\u3b1 was determined in 10 newborn calves from spontaneous parturition, and compared with those from neonates of other animal species. Plasmatic levels of prostaglandin metabolite in calves remained high for the first 3 hours of life, unlike newborn horse and donkey foals, in which the metabolite already decreased at 30 minutes after birth. Differences in placentation type or in gestation length could be the reason for the difference between these species. In the third study (chapter 11) the hematological profile of the newborn calves during the first 14 days of life was investigated in relation to the type of delivery. Data from 16 Holstein Friesian calves from spontaneous parturition and from 25 Belgian White and Blue calves from caesarean section were compared. Differences were found regarding many parameters; red blood cells count was always higher in the CS group, as hemoglobin concentrations and hematocrit levels. White blood cells count was higher in the CS group at birth and at 14 days after birth, and it was due to an higher neutrophil count. Different type of delivery can lead to different degree of stress and oxygenation in the newborn, which can represent the reason for variation in hematological pattern; difference in breed could anyway also play a role in this. In the fourth study (chapter 12) a new acute phase protein (PON1) was investigated in newborn calves from spontaneous parturition, and in calves up to 120 days old. Samples from some calves with inflammation were examined and compared with those of age-matched controls. The profile of PON1 activity in the newborn calves was characterized by a gradual increase starting from day 3 of life, probably due to maturation of hepatic system; this result evidences the importance to establish age-related reference intervals. In sick calves, PON1 was significantly lower than in age-matched controls, confirming the role of PON1 as a negative acute phase protein also in calves. From this thesis, the following general conclusion can be drawn: - during the first minutes, hours and days after delivery, a wide number of physiological changes take place in the newborn calf; - circulating levels of many hormones, which are responsible for maturation and adaptation of the neonate, rapidly change with age; most of these hormones reach stable values after the first 24 hours of life, so that the first day after birth has a key role in the adaptational process of the newborn to the extra uterine life; - prostaglandins F2\u3b1 metabolite plasma concentrations in the newborn calf remain high for the first 3 hours of life, unlike newborn horse and donkey foals, in which the metabolite already decreased at 30 minutes after birth. Differences in placentation type or in gestation length could be the reason for the difference between these species; - PON1 activity in the newborn calves is characterized by a gradual increase starting from day 3 of life, probably due to maturation of hepatic system; this result evidences the importance to establish age-related reference intervals; - in sick calves, PON1 is significantly lower than in age-matched controls, confirming the role of PON1 as a negative acute phase protein also in calves; - the type of delivery does not seem to influence the immediate clinical conditions of the newborn calf, above all in terms of viability; - the type of delivery seems to influence the biochemical, metabolic, haematological and hormonal profiles of the newborn calf: these differences are probably due to a different stress stimulation, which is normally lower during elective caesarean section

    P02-270 Study of the correlations between theory of mind, symptoms and personality characteristics of a non-psychiatric population

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    Aims:A deficit in the theory of mind has been identified, although without univocal results, in various pathologies, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and some personality disorders. Aim of the study was to evaluate, in a non- psychiatric population, the correlation of personological characteristics and symptoms with theory of mind and emotion recognition tasks.Methods:The following protocol was administrated to 130 voluntary students from Novara (Italy) School of Medicine: EPQ-R test for personality analysis; an intention-inferencing task for theory of mind (adapted from Happè's version); the emotion recognition test (adapted from Blair's version); and SCL-90 for symptoms evaluation. Spearman correlation coefficient (SC) was calculated; p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results:No statistically significant correlations were found between the EPQ-R (psychoticism, estroversion and nevroticism) and theory of mind test scores. Better performances in the theory of mind test corresponded to lower scores in SCL-90 subscales: obsessive-compulsive disorder (SC:-0.248; p=0.004); depression (SC:-0.280; p=0.001); anxiety (SC:-0.276; p=0.001); hostility (SC:-0.178; p=0.042); phobic anxiety (SC:-0.197;p=0.025); paranoid ideation (SC:-0.191;p=0.03); and psychoticism (SC:-0.189; p=0.032). A lower capacity in the recognition of the happiness emotion corresponded to higher scores in the hostility (CS:-0.194; p=0.027) and phobic anxiety (CS:-0.211; p=0.016) SCL-90 subscales, while higher scores in the EPQ-R subscale psychoticism and somatisation SCL-90 subscales were respectively related to lower skills in the recognition of fear (CS:-0.226; p=0.01) and envy (CS:-0.193; p=0.028) emotions.Conclusions:Theory of mind skills seem independent from personological traits, but are inversely correlated to various symptomatological subscale scores. The recognition of specific emotions correlates selectively with various personological traits and symptomatological subscales

    Colorimetric and electrophoretic evaluation of lipoprotein fractions in healthy neonatal calves: Comparison with results from adult cows and from calves with inflammatory conditions

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    High density lipoproteins (HDLs) are pivotal in innate immunity and decrease in serum during inflammation. Several studies have been done about lipoprotein changes in transition cows but little is known about their changes in newborn calves. The aim of this study is to provide information about HDLs in newborn calves, by defining the possible age-related changes in healthy calves compared with adults and by assessing the possible differences in calves with inflammation. Lipoprotein electrophoretic separation (reported as percentages) and colorimetric measurement of HDL (HDL-C) were performed on healthy cows and calves in order to identify possible differences in the lipoprotein profile due to the age. Then, age-matched calves with inflammatory conditions were also evaluated. Results showed that in calves HDL% and VLDL% were lower (mean values ± SD: 77.6% ± 8.6% and 2.6% ± 2.5%, respectively) and LDL% was higher (19.7% ± 7.4%) than in adults (89.0% ± 3.9%; 5.2 ± 2.1% and 5.8% ± 3.1%, respectively). Sick calves revealed a decrease of both HDL% (mean values ± SD: 61.0% ± 22.1%) and HDL-C (22.8 ± 11.6 mg/dL) and an increase of VLDL% (12.1% ± 13.1%) compared with controls (77.6% ± 8.6%; 41.5 ± 11.2 mg/dL and 2.6% ± 2.5%, respectively). Paraoxonase-1 activity, influenced by inflammation and oxidation, was measured, and it appeared correlated with HDL% and HDL-C in sick calves. In conclusion, this study revealed that HDLs concentration in healthy calves is lower than in adults, and further decreases in calves with inflammation, likely due to oxidation

    How stressful is maternity? Study about cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate coat and claws concentrations in female dogs from mating to 60 days post-partum

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    In dogs, the phase from mating to the end of weaning lasts about 120 days and encompasses many aspects that, interacting, contribute to increase the allostatic load. The coat and claws, useful for long-term change assessments, have the advantage of being collectable without invasiveness. In the present study, the Cortisol (C) and Dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) concentration monthly changes in the coat and claws were studied in female dogs from mating to the end of weaning to assess Hypothalamic\u2013Pituitary\u2013Adrenal (HPA) axis activation during pregnancy and the post-partum period. The results from 15 Dobermann Pinscher female dogs showed a trend of increase of the coat C from mating to 60 days post-partum, with significant changes between mating and parturition-60 days post-partum (p < 0.01) and between the 30-day pregnancy diagnosis (PD) and 30\u201360 days post-partum (p < 0.05). The claws C trend showed significant increases between mating and 30\u201360 days post-partum (p < 0.05) and between the PD and 60 days post-partum (p < 0.01). DHEA-S in both matrices showed non-significant changes. The results suggest that maternity could play a pivotal role in the HPA axis activation, with a subsequent chronic secretion of C determining an increase in the allostatic load in the mothers. Neither maternal parity nor litter size played a significant role in the accumulation of C and DHEA-S in both matrices

    Peripubertal Testosterone, 17β-Estradiol and Progesterone Concentrations in Hair and Nails in Dobermann Dogs

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    Studies about puberty in dogs are few, probably because many factors are involved in the delicate process of puberty onset, leading to difficulties in the proper enrollment of subjects. Moreover, the use of blood for monitoring hormonal changes can be problematic, and not feasible for long-term studies. Hair and nails proved to be suitable matrices for the retrospective evaluation of hormones’ long-term accumulation. This study was performed using hair and nails for the evaluation of testosterone (T), 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations to assess possible sexual steroid changes during the peripubertal period in dogs. The results, obtained on five males and five females, showed a significant increase in T in hair and nails of males immediately before puberty. In females, a significant increase in E2 at puberty and a marked increase in P4 after puberty was found in both biological specimens. Sex-related differences were detected only for T hair concentrations, but when the sex and sampling time were considered together, hair and nails T and nails P4 concentrations allowed us to discern between male and female dogs at specific sampling times. The results from this study showed that hair and nails are useful biological specimens for the retrospective evaluation of changes in T, E2 and P4 concentrations in peripubertal dogs

    Association between a single measurement of progesterone and cortisol blood concentrations at two to one week before parturition, and number of fetuses in the Teramana goat

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    The Teramana goat is an at-risk breed, needing population protection and programs to increase their numbers. The first step for a population increase is the best management of reproduction, leading to an as high as possible number of healthy and viable kids born. To this purpose, beside the optimization of mating, the best possible management of pregnancy and parturition is mandatory. The goat is a prolific farm animal in which single, double, or triple ovulations can occur, leading to singleton, twin or triple pregnancies, and the birth of multiple kids. Twins and triplets are associated to increased risk for perinatal mortality and need a special surveillance and possible assistance at birth. Knowledge of the number of fetuses that have to be delivered from each goat could be a practical tool for a better management of parturition. Among the methods to define the number of fetuses in the goat, the measurement of blood progesterone (P4) concentrations have provided inconsistent results. Therefore, the present study was aimed to assess the possible association between the maternal concentrations of plasma P4 and cortisol (C), two hormones possibly associated to the number of fetuses, measured only once at about two to one week before parturition in Teramana goats, and the number of fetuses. The results, obtained from 23 does, showed that both plasma P4 and C are higher in does bearing multiple fetuses than does with singleton pregnancies. However, the single measurement of plasma C, but not P4, two to one week before the expected parturition in the Teramana goat is useful to distinguish between does bearing singleton and triplet pregnancies for a better surveillance and assistance at delivery. Therefore, it could represent a tool for the best management of reproduction in a breed population at risk for extinctio

    Postpartum hair cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and their ratio in beef cows: Exploring association with parity and conception outcome

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    Hair steroid measurement has received increasing attention for monitoring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, as it offers the advantages of being noninvasive, fast, and able to indicate steroid concentrations over long periods. The objects of the study were to evaluate cortisol (C) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) hair concentrations and their ratio (C/DHEA-S) in beef cows from calving to 100 days (d) postpartum (pp) and to assess possible differences related to parity (primiparous vs multiparous) and conception outcome (pregnant vs not pregnant). Hair samples were collected from 6 primiparous and 5 multiparous pregnant beef cows by clipping the coat at calving (T0) and every 20 d for 5 times (T1-T5), collecting only the regrown hair. Starting from the 6th-week pp, cows were submitted to artificial insemination at spontaneous estrus; by 100 d pp, 7 cows were pregnant and 4 were not pregnant. Statistical analysis showed higher hair C concentrations in the 11 cows at calving (T0) compared to all the subsequent samplings except for T1, and higher C concentrations at T1 compared to T3, T4, and T5. These results indicate that hair C concentrations in beef cows are affected by sampling time, with a decrease from calving, as reported in other matrices. When exploring changes within parity groups, no differences were found in the multiparous among sampling times, while hair C concentrations at T0 and T1 tended to be higher than at T2 (0.01 ≤ p < 0.05) and were higher (p < 0.01) than in all the subsequent samplings (T3, T4 and T5) within the primiparous group. Higher hair C concentrations were found at T0 and T1 in the primiparous compared to multiparous (p < 0.01), suggesting that primiparous cows undergo a greater stress level before and around parturition compared to multiparous, probably due to the novelty of the calving experience. No differences were detected in C hair concentrations according to conception outcome (pregnant versus not pregnant) in each sampling time. Hair DHEA-S concentrations were neither affected by time nor by parity or conception outcome. Differences in the C/DHEA-S ratio were found at T1, with higher C/DHEA-S in the multiparous compared to primiparous cows (p < 0.001), and a tendency for higher ratio in the not pregnant compared to the pregnant (0.01 ≤ p < 0.05). These results support the choice of hair as a valuable biological matrix when investigating long-time periods such as postpartum in cows and suggest an enhanced immunoprotective effect of DHEA-S in the postpartum of primiparous cows, and in cows that get pregnant within 100 d postpartum

    Prevalence, survival and subsequent fertility of dairy and beef cows with uterine prolapse

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    The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of uterine prolapse in cows and assess its effects on survival and subsequent fertility. Of 33,450 calving cows considered retrospectively, 216 (0.6%) developed uterine prolapse. A higher prevalence was found in beef cows (n 5 57/5,700 cows, 1%) compared to dairy cows (n 5 157/27,750 cows, 0.6%). Treatment consisted of cleaning and replacing the uterus with local administration of antibiotics, and applying a harness for uterine containment. The recovery rate was 81.9% (n 5 177), similar in dairy (n 5 129; 81.1%) and beef (n 5 48; 84.2%) cows. Of the 216 cows with uterine prolapse, 18 (8.3%) died before or immediately after treatment; 21 cows (9.7%) were voluntarily culled for economic reasons (low milk yield, low fertility, insufficient weight gain). All recovered dairy cows were artificially inseminated with semen of proven fertility after a voluntary waiting period of 50 days; the beef cows were naturally mated. Among the 172 inseminated/mated cows, 84.7% (n 5 150) became pregnant (83.7% dairy cows, 87.5% beef cows), while 15.2% (n 5 27) did not conceive. Recurrence of uterine prolapse at subsequent calvings was recorded in one dairy cow. Based upon the data presented here, treated cows with uterine prolapse showed high chances of survival and conception, and a low risk of recurrence
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